I’ve always had a passion for business. No matter how much experience I get, there is always more to learn, more to accomplish. The mix of personality, drive and innovation in business leaders mixed with market demand, the economy, competition, government and the world around us makes for a fresh challenge requiring fresh approaches every day. What fun!
From 1884 to 2006, I was CEO and co-founder of Bentley Publishing Group, a privately held firm based in Walnut Creek, Calif. until I founded my mid-market consulting firm, CEO to CEO.
I’ve published extensively on the successful leadership traits of CEOs of mid-market companies, and wrote the book, The Feel of the Deal and soon my newest book, Mighty Midsized Businesses: How Leaders Overcome 7 Silent Growth Killers, due September 16th, 2014.
CEO to CEO is a consulting firm of former chief executives that improves the leadership infrastructure of midsized companies that are pursuing higher performance.
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Lance Armstrong: A Positive Influence on Management?

A combo picture made on January 15, 2013 in Paris, shows US talk-show star Oprah Winfrey and US former Cycling champion Lance Armstrong. Lance Armstrong's reported admission to Oprah Winfrey that he used performance-enhancing drugs likely means he will go down in history as the most brazen drug cheat the sport has ever seen. The disgraced American cyclist's comments, reported January 14, 2013 by USA Today, rewrite 14 years of deception and repeated denials that he used banned substances to win scores of international races, including the Tour de France seven times. His years of dominance in the sport's greatest race raised cycling's profile in the United States to new heights and gave Armstrong a platform to promote cancer awareness and research. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

There are thousands of Lance Armstrong-like people working in companies today. People who have a win at any cost approach, who poison teams, destroy a company’s sustainability and ultimately harm the company’s mission.

Is there a Lance Armstrong on your management team?

Lance Armstrong’s deplorable actions will be a positive influence on business leaders if they start dismissing their own “Lance Armstrongs” more quickly than ever before.

CEOs tolerate sub-par leadership teams all too often. One of the worst sort is the win-at-all-costs type that exerts overt and covert power over his team, keeps oversight at bay and delivers enough results and/or garners enough power to make the boss hesitate to fire him. They often thrive in positions where the company becomes dependent on them.

There can be no doubt about the damage that devious, malicious, selfish, aggressive people can cause. Lance Armstrong destroyed teammates and families, and damaged sponsors, the Tour de France, and the sport of cycling. Researcher and management professor Amir Erez from the University of Florida did a study in 2009 on the effect of so-called asshole bosses on their subordinates, and on those who observe the behavior. He found these toxic bosses sabotage confidence and may even cause people to harbor “deep, dark and destructive thoughts”.

I’ve counseled many CEOs struggling to deal with a toxic leader, and have witnessed the toll it can take on the CEO and those around them. Read about Belinda Tsai, CEO of Avicena (OTCBB AVGO), who waged (and won) a long and heroic battle with a toxic insider who got his claws deep into her company. In another must-read example, CEO Paul Levitan hired (and ultimately fired) a VP Sales who used classical control techniques to prolong his tenure at Galaxy Desserts.

CEOs (and boards) take too long to fire their Lance Armstrong. They often mistakenly use the litmus test for a criminal conviction (that the person is toxic beyond the shadow of a doubt) before taking action. They wait until the person has caused complete chaos and deep problems before they dismiss. Paul Levitan says, “I think we delayed our growth by at least two years because we brought the Orbiter [the person] on board and let him stay too long. In hindsight, it all seems so obvious, but it was really difficult to get clarity on the situation at the time.”

In the case of Avicena, Belinda Tsai’s four year battle with her Lance Armstrong nearly destroyed the company and the lifesaving work aimed at curing Lou Gehrig’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s disease and related ailments.

In most cases, the CEO is willing to make a decision, but they are unsure, afraid of dismissing a high performer. (After all, Lance did make the USA feel like a winner for seven years). It can be hard to separate malicious intent from passion. Some CEOs are hope to coach and “fix” their Lance Armstrong, and give them that chance.

CEOs must know that time is not on their side. The Lance Armstrongs of the world begin embedding themselves into an organization from day 1, like a parasite attaches to its host. Watch for critical early signs of a Lance Armstrong, and make dealing with him a priority. The quality and strength of the entire team is more important than results, since a great team will deliver results in a consistent and sustainable manner. Solicit the perspectives of others (i.e. your board, peers) since they will increase clarity and give you the support most CEOs need to fire quickly.

Be Watchful: Confer with Others Don’t grapple with the situation on your own. The biggest factor that makes CEOs able to quickly dismiss a high performer is validation from others they respect. This includes peers in the organization, the board, peer groups like the Alliance of Chief Executives, and coaches and consultants. I have sat with hundreds of mid-market CEOs in peer groups, and repeatedly, a member will tell us of a toxic executive, and almost without fail, the group will suggest quick dismissal. I have yet to hear of a case where the CEO felt he or she fired prematurely!

Some of the most heinous signals of a Lance Armstrong skilled in deceitful tactics (Lance was excellent at this) is the creation of silos, where oversight or even communication with the Lance Armstrong’s subordinates are discouraged. Also watch for over-the-top enforcement of the “chain of command”, where most all communications are mandated to go through the Lance Armstrong. Of course, any resistance to transparency is a bad sign.

Another type of toxic employee is the overtly nasty Lance Armstrong, who is aggressive in general, and has little concern with hurting those around him. This includes bullying in all its forms and a general lack of insight (and caring) into their own nasty behavior.

Commit to a Firing Date Most CEOs do not like to fire, and do not look forward to potential mop up after a high level dismissal. Fight the urge to defer action by committing to a firing date. Solidify your commitment by sharing the date with your board, your peer group or your consultant. They can help you by holding your feet to the fire. This date should not be more than three months out. Remember, every day they stay, they are working to increase your dependency on them.

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I’m not against strong leadership and aggressive competition. Nor am I advocating puppy dog-like naive behavior. And while there will always be those in the world that succeed who are ruthless, cheating and tyrannical, I remain steadfast that if you have one of those on your senior team, you’re far more likely to end up regretting it than benefiting by it. Not to mention the damage to your conscience about all the harm they’ll do to others. But I do appreciate your comment, and it can be difficult for a CEO to decide whether they have a tough, aggressive competitor on board, or someone who crosses the line. The answer may be change in different companies depending on the corporate culture they seek. And it may also change based on the country’s norms.

Excellent article Rob. Thank you for talking about the pink elephant that is in the middle of so many rooms. There is an unstated underlying assumption in your piece – that the CEO actually gives a darn. Organizational culture is a reflection of the top; people hire in their likeness. Many CEOs care and many do not.

The uncaring CEO might not be overtly toxic and a bully but has covert tendencies that support toxic behavior. Often because their scorecard is based on personal wealth, power, competitiveness and not on building a thriving, sustainable business. These CEOs engage in the same behavior with their boards – ‘managed’ access to the organization, hub-and-spoke management models, du jour manager that is vilified for speaking up.

I commend your CEO clients that recognize and are grappling with a toxic leader. For the rest of the CEOs, wake up. The bank account scorecard was ‘in’ in the first decade of the 21st century. In the second decade, it’s all about great workplaces that deliver meaningful, valued customer experiences.

There is enough empirical evidence to prove that healthy, customer centric companies are more profitable and sustainable than the bad boys of toxicity.

I agree Robert, excellent article portaying a scourge in the modern day business environment in a very effective way, by likening it to the atrocious behaviour of LA.

I am not an expert on the subject matter like you, but I have encoutered many LA’s in my career, and they all had one thing in common, to win at all cost, which they often did by destroying any semblence of teamwork, compassion or ethics in the workplace.

I made a decision early in my career to practice the ‘principle centered leadership’ that Stephen Covey propagates, but I must tell you it has done me few favours in terms of advancing my career. I am of the opinion that you have to consider a ruthless approach if you are to survive in today’s cut-throat business environment, or you are simply incredibly lucky if you find yourself in an organization where principle centered leadership is practiced.

I sincerely hope that posts like yours become more commonplace, to lift the veil on the disgusting specimens that LA and his type represents. He deserves every shred of bad publicity that places emphasis on the reprehensable behaviour of himself and his type.

Dear Jan, I must tell you that many ruthless, Lance Armstrong types do NOT “win”, and get booted out of many companies, and see their careers flounder. And I know many, many CEOs who lead principle centered companies who prosper, and create great working environments. These CEOs–the vast majority–range from gentle to aggressive, yet within that range, are still far from ruthless, abide by the law, and help their people grow and prosper. I do hope my post (and my consulting work) helps run the Lance Armstrongs out of companies more quickly, so they do less damage to principled people like yourself. Thank you very much for sharing.

Lance Armstrong is a clear example of the 1 in 25 of our fellow humans who are sociopathic or have anti-social personality disorders. They can also be found in predatory investors, Lawyers, politicians and others of similar ilk. They are so slick and adept at mimicking normality that they are hard to spot and even harder to expel as many in an organization are so taken by them that there is internal resistance to making them go away, they “seem” like a star.

I have run into a few of these in my career. All will go unmentioned but if any of them read this, they will know who they are because I told them.

I feel we may not do that enough; we let these tyrants get by with their shenanigans due to fear. We are fearful of losing our job or looking like we are not a team player. Sometimes we may feel like we need to join their ranks to be successful.

When I have run into one of these folks in the past and questioned my feeling about them, I try to follow a fairly simple process. I stand in front of a mirror. I ask myself this question “Can I support this person and what s/he is asking me to do?” I then look deeply into my own eyes I see into my own heart, my soul and wait for an answer.

In all of these cases, I came back with the right answer even though it may not have been financially beneficial to me, it was the right answer.

When I was just starting college, my mother gave me a poem by Ruyard Kipling . . .”If” I would advise everyone to read it, take in its wisdom and to live by its message. Here is a link: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15241